Overview:

The Catholic Franciscan
chapel of the "Condemnation and Imposition of the Cross" is located
in their complex at station #2 of Via Dolorosa. According to tradition, this was the site where
Jesus took up his cross after being sentenced. It is based on the
finding of large Roman pavement stones that may have been part
of Pilate's judgment seat for the condemnation of Jesus, and
the place where Jesus took up his cross after being sentenced.

Location and Aerial map:

The
church is located on the eastern side of Via Dolorosa inside the
Franciscan complex, adjacent to the
Flagellation church.

In
the Aerial map below (with a view from the north) the churches of
Condemnation and Flagellation are located in the
center, along Via Dolorosa street. You can
point on the purple
points to navigate to the selected site.

History:

Roman Period

The site
in the vicinity of the church of Condemnation was in the Roman times
the place of the seat of Pontius Pilate, located in the Antonia
fortress, and the place of the hall of judgment. John 18:28:
"Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment". Jesus
is condemned to death by Pontius Pilate, as per John 19:16:
"Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified".

Inside the church (on its
western floor), and outside the chapel, are huge stones which were
part of the Roman pavement dated to the 2nd C.

Crusaders period

An earlier chapel was located
at the site of the Condemnation chapel. Its construction is dated to
the years 1229-1244. It was ruined in the 13th C.

The Franciscan order was
established by Saint Francis, an Italian who lived in the late 12th
C. The Franciscans presence in the Holy Land started in the early
13th C, when they resided in a small house (station 5) in
via Dolorosa.

In 1342 Pope Clement VI
declared that the Franciscans are the official custodians of the
Holy places ("Custodia Terroe Sanctoe"). This custody is still in
effect to date.

Late Ottoman period

The new church
was built by the Franciscans during the years 1903-1904, on the
ruins of the Crusaders chapel. Large Roman flagstones were
discovered under the ruins and along the way to the Convent of the
Sisters of Zion - which is adjacent to the site. These pavement
slabs were associated with the site of the judgment, based on the
Biblical verse that describes this place (John 19:13): "When
Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat
down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement,
but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha".

Modern Period

The chapel is located inside the
Franciscan complex, adjacent to the
Flagellation chapel, and open to the public.

Photos:

(a) Exterior:

The church domes are seen
from Via Dolorosa street, located behind the plate bearing the
number "II" (station 2).

There are five white domes, with tall
stained glass windows on the sides of each dome.

Click on the photos to view in higher
resolution...

After entering the compound of the Franciscan monastery, the chapel
is located on the western side of the entrance. It is seen below
behind the small garden which contains a display of archaeological
findings. The bank of rock and the huge stones behind it are dated
to the 2nd C, and were considered part of the "pavement" ("Lithostrotos")
on which the judgment seat was located.

(b) Interior:

The church altar
is seen in the photo below. The ceiling is supported by pink marble
columns.

A closer view of
the altar is seen below.

A detail of the
painting is seen below.

The corner near
the entrance is seen in the photo below.

(c) Displays:

In
the garden and near the entrance to the chapel is a small
exhibition of archaeological findings. The complex hosts the
Franciscan Study Centre of the Custody of the Holy Land (SBF -
Stadium Biblicum Franciscanum). Their archaeologists and researchers
excavated many sites in the Holy Land, focusing in the study of the
Christian presence in the Holy Land.

A
model of the city at the Roman Roman is seen below, from a southern
view. The temple mount is located in the top right. The Antonia
fortress and the hall of judgment is located behind the temple. The
Herodian aqueduct is seen leading from the bottom left to the
city.

A display of
archaeological findings is seen on the western wall outside the
chapel.

Other findings
are located in the garden.

(d) Monastery:

A view of the
hall of the monastery is seen below, with more archaeological items.

The Church of Flagellation is
located on
the east side of the courtyard, and is seen below. It is detailed
in a separate page.

Biblical References:

John 18, 19:

Jesus is brought to the hall of judgment, in front of
Pontius Pilate, the governor of the Roman province of Judaea (26-36AD):

John 18:28:
"Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment".

The place of the hall of judgment is described in the
following verse:

John 19:13: "When
Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in
the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the
Hebrew, Gabbatha".

Jesus is condemned to death by Pontius Pilate:

John 19:16: "Then
delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified".

Etymology (behind the name):

Gabbatha (Gabtha) -
Probably an Aramaic word meaning "raised seat". It may also be based on the
Hebrew root word Gav (Gab) which means "back" or "raised".

Lithostrotos - a paved
or mosaic-laid floor. From Greek: Lithos is stone, and stratos/strotos means
army(?). In the case of the judgment seat, the area in front of Pilate's chair
was probably paved by mosaics or slabs.